Dakshina Kannada enjoys the reputation of being the district of intellectuals. But, not many of us know that the district also houses a small village whose reputation has spread far and wide. This small village in Bantwal Taluk, known as Ira, has many accomplishments to its credit, accounting for its popularity the world over. The village is completely clean, fully literate and plastic-free!
The clean reputation of the village keeps attracting foreign visitors. Recently, a team of 20 representatives from Unicef, representing countries like Indonesia, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe, visited the village and studied various aspects of the place comprising its sanitation, developmental projects, cleanliness, and the like. The team was all praise for the village.
The village also played host to a 28-member team from Kerala, including the Kerala Gram Panchayat president, which was in awe of the village. The team members expressed their wish to replicate the Ira model in their State too, which stands in the forefront of Indian states in matters of literacy and education.
This is not all. Teams from various social service organisations from about 12 districts of the State, representatives from Gulbarga district and the Myrada organisation in Mysore, Mr K S Reddy from Hyderabad, and the team of Mr R P Singh of the National Rural Development Department have visited Ira to study its development pattern.
Ira’s success story began with the successful implementation of Centre’s Sampoorna Swachata Andolana or the total sanitation project which aims to generate awareness on clean environment and inculcate good toilet habits among the rural masses. The project was kicked off on August 25, 2005 with Anganwadi workers training members of Stree Shakti groups on the importance of maintaining good hygiene. The project received a fillip on October 2, 2005 when the total sanitation project was launched all over the State.
According to research, of the 1231 families inhabiting the village, about 391 families did not have toilets. However, impressed with the team initiative of the village to make sanitation a reality, Vittal MLA Padmanabha Kottari decided to launch the Nirmala Grama Yojane in the entire Bantwal taluk. He even organised many campaigns to spread awareness among the masses.
Subsequently, following directions from Mr V P Baligar, secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, about 25 members of the Bantwal Grama Panchayat got together and started digging pits for toilets in the Koraga colony. Elsewhere in the taluk too, Grama Panchayat members, youth and women’s associations, and social service organisations did their bit for the setting up of toilets. If pits for toilets were dug free of cost, Mr Yathiraj Shetty, a contractor from Mangalore, donated 150 toilet pans.
Very soon, all the 1,231 families of Ira could boast of toilets, also earning the ‘Nirmal Gram Puraskar’ from the Union Government for the Ira Grama Panchayat for the total implementation of the Nirmala project.
The next in line of attack of the Ira Grama Panchayat was plastic. Realising the negative effects of plastic on environment, the members of Ira Grama Panchayat started spreading green awareness among the villagers.
Arrangements were made to dump plastic close to the 12 anganwadi centres of the village. The plastic mountain thus created was transported to Bangalore to be recycled. Another such plastic mountain is in the making now...
Ira Grama Panchayat also enjoys the distinction of being the first Grama Panchayat to go digital. On the bulletin board of the panchayat office are displayed various newspaper articles relating the development of the village.
The panchayat also brings out a monthly magazine called ‘Ira’. In fact, ‘Ira’ is the platform of a group of 20 villagers who are interested in reading. Very close to the library, a small, low cost cottage is in the process of construction, using locally available materials. A book collection drive has also been launched in the village and various competitions are held on a regular basis for readers.
In an effort to inculcate good habits from the childhood itself, anganwadis in the village teach children about hygiene and the need for the use of toilets. All the schools are equipped with dustbins that facilitate waste segregation. All the grama sabha and ward sabha meetings are videographed and senior IAS officer Bharatlal Meena’s ‘Apna Desh’, a revolutionary village self-help concept, is implemented in its true word and spirit.
Telephone exchange, primary health centre, birth and death registration centre, post office, co-operative bank, fair price shop, auditorium, 4 schools, anganwadi, 3 temples, 3 mosques, 2 child care centres, electricity bill collection centre... these are only a few of the many facilities available in Ira.
The active involvement of Sheena Shetty and Krishna Moolya of Jana Shikshana Trust, Mangalore, in the development of the village, and slogans found in bus stations and schools have prompted community participation. Making Ira a disputeless village is also in the scheme of things, say the elders of the place.
Seeing is believing. Hence, all those dreaming of a village like Ira should visit the place...
Translated by Chethana Dinesh
